


Dream Fireworks

by nagisa-sensei (komaedakibou)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Promptis - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-10-01 02:47:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10178984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komaedakibou/pseuds/nagisa-sensei
Summary: Like any foreign object picked up by the sea, he wished to be carried away to somewhere else where he’d never be seen again.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here I go, finally jumping on the ffxv bandwagon even though I’ve been in the fandom for ages now. I was feeling hurt and needed some comfort, so this is what happened. I was listening to Yume Hanabi/Dream Fireworks by Mafumafu as I wrote this so... it only felt right to use that as the title ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

In the dead of night, gentle waves crashing against the shore should have only been relaxing. Except that it wasn’t – it was _terrifying,_ because the late hour meant that he was alone and the ocean in front of him was just another way he could possibly lose himself – and he wanted nothing more than to give into the temptation that was always tugging at him.

He wanted nothing more than to step into it, to feel the cool liquid pooling around his ankles, to fight against the heaviness of the water as it tried to hold him in place and prevent him from going any deeper against its wishes. If he could only get far enough… he, too, would disappear and be dragged along with the sea.

Although he knew he’d likely regret it come morning, he gave in just a little bit. Nightmares were something that plagued him often, sending him outside of their temporary sleeping quarters just about every second night, but never had he been reckless enough to listen to the negative thoughts that plagued him after a night of torture.

A smile graced his lips, small but strong and full of emotion. It was one of the first genuine smiles he’d had in a long time, save for the ones reserved for Noctis. But nobody needed to know that, did they? If they didn’t notice sooner, then they’d never realise just how _fake_ he truly was. He'd perfected the art of pretending.

Soft wet sand squished between his toes as he stepped into the water, not even flinching at the sudden extreme cold. It was refreshing, especially since it had been so hot, so he dared to take another step… then another, and another, and another until it reached his waist and there was no way he could explain the reason why his pants were drenched if he decided to go back to their camp.

Then… a voice pierced the silence. An unfamiliar type of melancholy flared within his being like the gentle lick of a dying flame, but he didn’t turn to see his company, didn’t want to.

“Prompto,” the all too familiar voice of the prince called out, laced with only the tiniest shred of concern and full of tiredness. Not that Prompto minded it much – Noctis wasn’t one who was freely able to express himself, so it only made sense that he’d have no idea how to react after stumbling upon the situation he had put himself in. “Come back.”

“ _No._ ” Prompto replied instantly, not even giving the request any thought. Never before had he thought to disregard the other man completely, but tonight… he felt too broken to be swayed so easily.

The sound of the water being disturbed by someone who wasn’t him told him that he wouldn’t be getting away with his stubbornness that easily, not by a long shot. The prince was going to personally get in to collect him, and he had no idea whether he was upset or flattered by the notion.

“…It’s cold,” Noctis muttered, obviously shivering by the tremble in his voice. Prompto remained stock still until he felt the other body close to his, the water rippling roughly as they stood shoulder to shoulder and he ignored the urge to move in deeper. “I don’t know why you’re doing this, but I’m…”

Obviously Noctis had no idea what he was, but it didn’t matter anyway. Prompto knew that whatever it was would be changed if he let his friend see the side of him that nobody else did, the one that was _real_ and _pathetic_.

“You’re what?”

Finally, Prompto turned to look at him. Noctis, surprisingly, looked visibly disturbed by whatever he saw in his usually cheerful friend at that moment. There was a glint in his eye that disappeared and died, like he saw the sun itself burn out and expected the entire world to crumble beneath his feet because of it.

It was _intense_. His lips turned down into a frown and his brows furrowed together, but that small speck of concern seemed to be growing ever so slowly.

Then Prompto felt fingers tap at his own, hesitantly at first before becoming more forceful and locking them together in a warm embrace. His heart felt like it had stopped, his eyes widened; there was nothing he could think of that explained why the sudden gesture was happening, not when Noctis barely ever managed to allow physical contact of this degree happen without a noticeable struggle.

It wasn’t like touches were unfamiliar between them, but they were always fleeting or joking. Never like this, never serious or emotional. It was overwhelming even to him, though he’d craved a touch like this in so long.

The hand in his told him the end of the other man’s sentence – _I’m worried about you._ It said it in volumes, much more than the actual words coming out of his mouth would have.

“I don’t want you to think that you’re alone, Prompto,” Noctis murmured, his eyes looking straight down at the water. Even in the moonlight, they shone like the most radiant sapphires. “Talk to me. Tell me something. Please.”

Involuntarily, he squeezed the hand in his. There was so much that he wouldn’t dare say out loud, so much he didn’t want Noctis to know about him… but after such a request, he couldn’t bring himself to remain silent. Not when they were both struggling because of his insecurity.

“I don’t think I’m good enough for this… or you.” Is what came out first, followed by a great sigh of exasperation. His free hand fumbled with the material of his shirt, the feeling of the fabric rolling between the pads of his fingers helping him think. “I’m not really good at much, and I keep thinking that it’ll just be better off for everyone if I disappeared.”

Noctis grunted half in acknowledgement and half in distress as his grip on Prompto tightened. Almost defensively, he pulled the blond back towards the shore just the slightest bit, his brows furrowing further. Prompto allowed it, not having the strength at that moment to resist.

In a way, it was what he wanted. He wanted someone to show him that he was wrong, that his opinion of himself was clouded by self-loathing and that he was better than he thought he was. Even if it wasn’t true, he _needed_ some kind of validation.

“That’s silly.” Noctis grumbled, fingers roughly pressing into the top of his hand. It was meant to be gentle, but the emotions that were swirling about in his head prevented him from realising that it wasn’t. He shook his head once, twice, and then continued to speak. “You’re more than enough. Better, even.”

Prompto _laughed_. A bitter, unbelieving laugh that had Noctis’ mouth moving to form a stiff line as his teeth ground together in frustration. Unable to bring himself to continue down that train of thought thanks to the response he’d gotten, the raven stayed quiet and simply watched the kaleidoscope of emotions form on his friend’s face before settling on sadness.

“That’s… that’s a nice thought and all, Noct. But it isn’t true at all.”

His hand was squeezed even tighter – _desperately_ , like his life depended on it – but it was just as comforting as it was scary. Nonetheless, he found himself holding onto Noctis even tighter as well, with the same amount of passion.

“It is,” Noctis insisted, pulling Prompto closer to him. His free hand travelled up and hovered in the air, on the way to touch soft freckled skin but stopping short in hesitation. “I didn’t know you were screaming inside this badly. I knew something was wrong, sure. But to this extent…”

The look on Noctis’ face was one he never thought he’d see because of him. It was one of great disappointment, like he’d just failed all of Eos and had no hope of atonement. The hand finally began to move again as he closed his eyes, resting gently on Prompto’s cheek.

“Wha-”

“I’m sorry, Prompto.” Noctis whispered, and then pressed their foreheads together as his thumb softly caressed the reddening skin beneath it. “Trust me when I say that… that seeing you here, like this? It’s one of the most… scariest things I’ve seen in my life. And I’ve seen a lot.”

Prompto opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a small exhale. He had no idea how to respond to that, no idea how to even begin processing what he’d just been told. It made no sense at all, but… suddenly he was beginning to regret the line of thought he’d been following. If it made Noctis this upset, then all he was doing was failing, even in death.

“I…”

“I don’t know what words you need to hear in order to see yourself the way that I do, but…” Noctis continued, voice trembling. “You mean the world to me, Prompto. Without you, I… well; I don’t even want to imagine a life without you in it, really. It wouldn’t be a good one at all."

“Noct…” His breath hitched, his heart speeding up. “You’re… is that true?”

As much as he wanted to simply believe that the other man had no reason to lie to him, that Noctis would have just encouraged him to disappear if he really didn’t want him around… the words seemed too good to be true. Their closeness, the soft and reassuring touches, the urgency in his voice… there was no way it would be happening if he wasn’t being honest.

“Mm,” Gulping, Noctis licked his lips and gave a small nod in confirmation. “It is. Why would I lie to you about that? I can… continue to prove it, if that’s what you need.”

At that, Prompto fell silent. Did he need it? Definitely. Did he want to _ask_ for it? Definitely not. It was selfish of him, but he didn’t want to be telling Noctis what to do – he wanted the other to _want_ to tell him - to want to let him know just how important he was. Because he didn’t think he’d be able to believe the words otherwise.

“Prompto,” he sighed, leaning back and sliding his hand to rest beneath his chin, two fingers coaxing his face up so they were looking into each others eyes. “I’m not good with words, but I’ll try. You’re… you’re the most amazing person that I’ve ever met. You’re strong headed, determined, and just… this positive force of nature that always manages to get me and everyone else to feel like everything’s going to be okay no matter the circumstances.”

Tears built up quickly, his eyes burning. All at once, his mouth dried, his heart felt _full a_ nd he’d forgotten how to breathe; but he wanted to say something, to tell Noctis that he was wrong and that it was all just a façade he put on.

“Noct-”

The moment he choked his name out with a sob, Noctis shook his head slightly. The fingers that held his chin up now moved to press against his lips, requesting silence.

“I know you hurt like that rest of us, all the time. But even so, you continue to be this rock that supports us even if a lot of the time we don’t see or acknowledge it. You’re not… you don’t have the skills that Ignis and Gladio have, but you shouldn’t compare yourself to them in the first place. I don’t need another one of them, I just need – I just need _you_. You’re here because you’re you and I…”

Tears fell freely down his cheeks no matter how hard he tried to hold them back. Somehow or another he managed to keep himself quiet, but he’d always been a silent sufferer anyway when it came to serious topics like these. His body shook violently from the emotions overwhelming him now, and one look at Noctis confirmed that the other man was doing the same.

Then those fingers returned to his cheek lovingly, a fond smile breaking through the look of defeat he’d had only moments ago. And he leaned in, hand urging his face closer and pressing their lips together for a chaste but emotion riddled kiss.

“...And I love you. There’s nowhere else I’d rather you be then at my side, smiling happily as you always do. I want us to fight through this – whatever this is – together, and for you to be able to be the person you always are without whatever has been holding you back and making you feel like it’s a lie. Even in a situation like this… I’m able to smile because when I think of you and everything about you, I can’t help but feel like I’m falling in love with you all over again.”

Prompto cried even harder. There was no way for him to even think of expressing anything else at that moment, the weight of those words too heavy to throw back at him. It was everything he wanted and wished to hear and more, but it was too much at the same time.

He fell into Noctis, unlacing their hands so he could hug him tightly and bury his face into the crook of his neck. Fingers desperately balled up and clung to the material of his shirt, nails probably digging into the others back unintentionally. But the prince didn’t say anything, only enveloped him in a warm hug and held him, rubbing his cheek against the top of Prompto’s head.

So he just cried. For how long, he didn’t know, but by the time he stopped he was hiccupping so badly that he needed to constantly gasp for air. His throat felt as though it was on fire, and his face was drenched in tears and aching.

Noctis rubbed his back, hot hands beneath his shirt in order to calm him easier and simultaneously leech the heat that the blond always seemed to radiate. They both stood in silence until Prompto’s breathing evened out, the tears escaping no more.

Then Noctis waited for Prompto to speak, not wanting to break the comfortable atmosphere that had been created. It was nice, being able to hold each other without fear of judgement… just because it felt right, because they were completely at ease with each other.

Of course Prompto still had his doubts, but to hear Noctis say those things to him like that? He couldn’t even begin to think of himself as worthless. He was still sure that the other man would change his mind once he knew the whole truth about him, but for now… he was content to keep trying to push himself forward.

Without thinking, he pressed a kiss to Noctis’ neck, the taste of his own tears still fresh on the pale skin. It was part fascination after staring at it for so long and also part apology, but the way that Noctis’ breath hitched in surprise had him smiling a little bit.

“ _Noctis_ ,” he murmured against the skin, pressing a trail of kisses up the creamy expanse of neck and stopping at the shell of his ear, not hesitating for a moment. “I love you too. Thank you.”

Now, after everything, the cold water that was now up to their hips was just that: _cold_. Unbelievably cold, and not at all as inviting and tempting as it had been when he'd first walked into it. It was just uncomfortable and painful, so when Noctis tugged him towards the shore once again, he followed eagerly.

By the time they were out of the water, they were shaking for an entirely different reason. The night air blowing against their wet skin was _freezing_ , so much so that their teeth chattered together loudly and their arms instinctively hugged themselves in an attempt to create some semblance of warmth.

“Don’t do that again,” Noctis warned, voice wavering but tone strict. “Please, don’t scare me again. Just talk to me next time, okay? Even if you have to wake me up.”

“Okay,” he agreed with a nod, taking a deep breath before wrapping his arms around Noctis once again. It was much easier to grow warm that way, and he definitely would latch onto any reason to be close to him. “I’ll talk to you. Promise.”

“Good,” Noctis nodded as well, accepting the embrace with a small huff. “And don’t forget what I said.”

“I won’t,” he agreed again, a wide smile spreading over his face. He wouldn’t be able to forget any of that even if he wanted to. “Never.”

He sealed the promise with a kiss, any and all negative thoughts that had stemmed from his nightmares and past gone for the time being. All he cared about in that moment was the feeling of Noctis’ lips against his; soft, gentle and loving, like he really was the most important person in his world.

And for once, he wholeheartedly believed he really was worth something.

 


End file.
